Perrysburg Blog

Time for the second review of the Realtors adjunct office – the coffee shop.

And the Mack Daddy, 800lb Monster, the Progenitor of Seattle Coffee Cool is . . . of course, Starbucks. There are several flavors of Starbucks. Small, walk-up airport ones, small walk-up turnpike ones, small ones in Krogers.

These are not, of course, “real” Starbucks operations. You can even buy a Starbucks kiosk for your office – I have priced one out for my Perrysburg office.

No, “real” Starbucks are found all by themselves, not in a bank or a Kroger.

And Perrysburg has just one “real” Starbucks.

#2 in a Series: Starbucks at Levis Commons (www.Starbucks.com)

Location: 3 Pens. At the new Levis Commons mall. Popular. Easy to get too. But whereas Bigbee’s has a drivethru, Starbucks has parallel parking, and a sometimes long walk if you are meeting someone there during prime shopping hours. But – everyone knows where it is. And if you are there early you can almost always pull up right in front and get in and out. Drive thru convenience? You are going to BG and that is not convenient. Who is here? People after movies. Kids. Teens. Dates. Families. Business people meeting. Bible study groups. It’s really not about the coffee – Starbucks has become the new town gate / town square.

Music: 3 Pens. Not too loud. And you never know what will be playing. Starbucks has been fully invaded by the merchandising virus – nothing is not for sale. Music that you hear can be bought at the register.

Furniture: 4 Pens. Soft chairs. A coffee bar to sit at if you so choose. 5 tables. Better seating than anyone else.

Drinks: I suppose that this is why you come here? I come for the tables, I am ashamed to say. I must have a writing surface. But wait . . . if that was true, I would go to the Way Library. So I guess that I do come here for the drinks: 8 types of tea. 87 varieties of coffee. Water. 5 Pens.

Staff: The “Barista”. They end up knowing you by name if you are not careful. Of course there is a lot of turnover – but I imagine that courses change at BGSU so that’s why I see new ones all of the time. Right? 4 Pens. I try to always tip them, too.

Most Annoying Feature: It is the “in your face” merchandising. Songs. Mugs. Bags of Coffee. But I am a hypocrite. Look in my kitchen cupboard and you will find some Starbucks mugs that the Wife Unit bought there on sale.

Best Feature: The beverages. People stand in line here. For flavored water. For expensive flavored water. Amazing.

Weird Real Estate/Design Thing That I Noticed: When the lease is up the really cool aluminum and steel ceiling unit above the baristas goes with the tenant! Nice design that is obviously not a permanent improvement but actually a trade fixture. That will show the landlord! It also really ads to the ambiance of the entire store. Next time you are there, imagine the effect of this thing being totally gone.

# of Laptop Outlets: 4 or so, plus a hidden one that I use that I am not going to share with you. 3 Pens. (N.B. – Every flat surface should have it’s own plug. Every time I go in there, laptop users are there. They want to plug in and not burn out their batteries. Future designers note this well: adding plugs increases the satisfied customer count.)

Free WiFi: No. Sorry.  Nothing is free anymore.  Not in the New Great Crisis.  So, gget an i-Phone. Then you can laugh at them like I do.

Overall – the best Spring/Summer/Fall place to meet a client for coffee. Great seating and ambiance. 4 pens.

Next up . . . Panera – and we ask the question “Is it a coffee shop?”.

Everyone knows that Realtors need coffee and other caffeine laden beverages to function.   My profession has what my wife and I call, in a normal year, my “Summer Hours”.  That is when I go into the office later and come home at 9 or 10 at night because I have been out showing and selling that late every night.  Summer Hours start, usually, in the Spring and end in the Fall.

The invention of the modern coffee shop, and the lamented closing of Broske’s has allowed Realtors in Perrysburg to get their coffee or, in my case, tea fix.   Modern coffee parlors are excellent neutral places to meet to write an offer, meet a client, or meet another agent.

Therefore it is my pleasure to review the major Perrysburg Coffee Hangouts – I spend enough time at them, you might as well profit from my experience.  I will rate all of these Coffee Stores with “REALTOR PENS”.

#1 in a Series:  Biggby’s at the Shops at RiverPlace  (www.Biggby.com)

Location:  3 Pens.  In the Shops at RiverPlace.  Which I think is great – and close to my office.  The drive thru is a huge competitive advantage – their BEST feature.

Music: 1 Pen.  Canned.  Eecch.

Furniture:  3 Pens.  Nothing fancy but plenty of flat surfaces for writing contracts.

Drinks: 2.5 Pens.  Serious coffee drinks.

Staff:  3 Pens.  Apparently friendly and focused.  I am not that into the Biggby’s colors.  I don’t think they are either.

Most Annoying Feature:  The double edged sword of the drive thru.  Yes, it is their greatest feature, but with each and every order, each and every patron INSIDE Biggby’s can hear YOUR order and any comments or discussion you are having in your car.  Reminds me of being at Luton Airport one horrible day . . . “must bring noise canceling headphones . . .”

Best Feature:  2.5 Pens  The drinks and the prices.  This is the working man’s coffee joint.   No self-absorbed types here.

Weird Real Estate/Design Thing That I Noticed: The lights above the main counter.  They seem to be halogen fixtures.  But they are stuffed with what look like 100 watt regular bulbs.  Strange.  Spend all that money on the fancy fixture and then skimp on the cheap and ugly bulbs . . . And  I wonder how many fender benders they have had  out in front with people hurrying to get their Java fix.  Just wondering!

# of Laptop Outlets: 4  -  3 Pens.

Free WiFi:  No.  You have to register.  Why don’t you have your own AirCard?  (Every Realtor has one, right!?)

Overall – a great place to meet a client, an appointment, or to write a contract.  3.5 Pens  The drive thru alone gives them a huge advantage.

Next up . . . Starbucks.